identical
American
adjective
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Also called: numerically identical. being one and the same individual
Cicero and Tully are identical
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Also called: quantitatively identical. exactly alike, equal, or agreeing
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designating either or both of a pair of twins of the same sex who developed from a single fertilized ovum that split into two Compare fraternal
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of identical
First recorded in 1610–20; from Medieval Latin identic(us) identic + -al 1
Compare meaning
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Explanation
When you're looking for exact replicas, don't waste your time on snowflakes or fingerprints; no two are identical, or exactly the same. Great mind may think alike, but they'll never be identical. Twins, on the other hand, very well may be — if they've come from the same split embryo that is. It makes sense then, that the word identical has linguistic roots in the Latin word idem, meaning "the same."
Vocabulary lists containing identical
List 3
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Measurement and Data, List 1
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Measurement and Data
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Photographs published by the Post showed the hole in the Antarctica area and an accompanying plaque identifying it as one of two nearly identical, historic "Eisenhower Globes" in the Pentagon's possession.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
I’ve never thought a table needed 12 identical bowls to be beautiful.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
The researchers discovered that the remarkable recovery depends on a special ability of genetically identical corals to connect their tissues.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
About a week ago, Minkema bought a nearly identical itinerary for this year’s trip.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
Since twins share identical genetic material, he reasoned, any substantial similarities between them could be attributed to genes, while any differences were the consequence of environment.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
